Door operating mechanism for freight cars



.H. S. HART. 000R OPERATING MECHANISM FOR FREIGHT CARS.

APPLICATION HUD MI. l5, 19H.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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APPLICATION FILED V0.16. I9H- 1,195,582. Patented Aug. 22,1916.

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DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR FREIGHT CARS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. h. [914.

1,1 95,582. Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY S. HART, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 NATIONAL DUMP CAB COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Application filed January 18, 1914. Serial No. 812,483.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Hana! S. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Operating Mechanism for F might-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to freight cars, and more particularly to door operating mechanism for freight cars of the type known as general service cars.

Many freight cars of the type having drop lloor doors are provided with rotary shafts connected by chains to the swinging edges of a series of doors for raising and loweringthe doors. In order to re ieve the strain upon the chains when the doors are closed, and to avoid the accidental dropping .of the doors should the chains break, various devices have been provided for sustaining the weight of the doors and of the lading on them, but such devices have not proved entirely satisfactory, as they are so constructed as to only engage the doors after they have been completely closed, stretching of the chains by use e frequently renders it impossible to so uniformly close the doors as to permit the engagement with them of the supporting devices.

The u-imary Object of my invention is to provide freight cars of the type having drop floor doors operated by chain winding shafts. with door-supporting mechanism whirh will positively engage and securely sustain the doors in fully closed position as well as in incompletely closed positions should the unequal stretching of the chains render it impossible to equally raise all of the doors of the series. or both sides of the same door.

further object of my invention is to provide supporting mechanism for the drop floor doors of freight cars which will transmit the load-supporting strains on the doors horizontally to the car frame.

A further object of my invention is to provide door-operating and en porting mechanism for the drop doors of freight cars which will be simple in construction, convenient in operation, and cflleient in use.

My invention will be more full disclosed hereinafter with reference to tie accompanying drawings, in which the same is and the unequal illustrated as embodied in convenient and practical form, and in which-- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of a freight car equipped with my invention, the door being shown in open position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the door raised to incompletely closed position. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the draw-supporting mechanism in position to retain the f oor closed. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the door at the instant of its release by the door-supporting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of one end of a car equipped with my invention. Fig. (i is an enlarged detail view showing adjacent portions of two doors and the adjoining portions of the car; and Fig.

7 is an elevational view of one of the supporting shoes at one side of a door.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several ligures of the drawings.

Reference letter A designates one of the longitudinal channel beams forming a center sill of the box girder type.

B designates one of the cross bearers, or

.transvcrse members, of the under-frame,

which extends from the center sill to the our side.

designates one of the side plates. the lower edge of which is connected with the floor level by inwardly inclined strips ii.

I) indicates one of the side stakes, which depends at its lower end below the floor level and is rigidly secured to the end of the adjacent transverse member B by means of rivets extending through the flanges of the stake and through the vertical end flange of the transverse member, and also through an angle plate a secured to the end of the transverse member with its flange projecting in the opposite direction from the end flange of the transverse member.

F indicates one of the drop doors, a plurality of which are arranged on opposite sides of the center sill and extend |\(l]uCeni the car sides.

G indicates brackets secured to the outer surface of the center sill beam A, upon which is pivoted the innel longitiulinal edge of the door F.

H designates a rotary shaft extendin longit dinally of the ear and journaled in ill) lilo

lllf.

' ll am] also to the swinging sides of the doors F, any suitable fastenin means being )rovided for connecting tie chains to the doors, such, for instance, as brackets K fixed to the undersurfaces of the doors,

3 through which extends eye-bolts it connected to the chains. Two chains K are provided for each door, one located adjacent each side of the door. v

The freight car construction above described does not in itself constitute my invention. but is illustrated and described in order that the construction and operation of my improved door-operating mechanism may be fully disclosed.

L designates a block, or shoe, provided with an outwardly and upwardly inclined, and preferably serrated surface, and secured to the outer edge of the door F by flanges l, throu h which bolts extend for rigidly uniting t m hlock to the longitudinal strengthening channel strip f along the under surface of the outer edge of the door. Two shoes L are provided on the outer edge of each door. one at each side thereof.

M designates a bodily movable wedge having its inner surface preferably serrated. A slightly curved slot m is formed through the portion of the wedge block M above the serrated surface thereon. through which extends a bolt m su norted at its ends by a pair of brackets bl. between which the slotted portion of the wedge block is ada 1 ed to freely reciprocate. The brackets M are secure to the outer surface of the inclined side strips D in position to sup ort the movable wedge block in transverse a inemont with the corresponding shoe on the door. One wedge block is provided above each of the door shoes. Each of the blocks M is provided with an outwardly projecting lu m adapted to engage a stop M secure to the adjacent flange of the side stake E when the block M has been elevated a iredetermined distance.

igidly secured to the shaft H are eccentrics N, one of which is located adjacent to. and in transverse alinement with, each of the movable blocks M. Any suitable means may be provided for rigid y securin each of the eccentrics to the shaft H, sue for instance, as a collar 1 formed inte ral with the eccentric and rigidly attache to the shaft.

The 0 eration-of my invention isas follows: hen the door, or doors, F, connected by the chains with the shaft H, are in the open position shown in Fig. l, and it is desired to close the doors, the shaft is rotated in a direction to wind thereon the chains K, and thereby raise the doors to substantially the level of the car floor. When each door has been raised to such a position that the upper ends of the shoes thereon will engage the lower ends of the movable wedge blocks M, the latter will be lifted to the )osition shown in Fig. 2, after which upon the further raising of the doors the upper edges of the shoes pass out of enagement with the corresponding wedge locks so that the latter fall by gravity into the position shown in Fig. 3, in which the serrated inner surfaces thereon horizontally overla the serrated outer surfaces of the shoes It will be observed that when the door has reached the elevation shown in Fig. 2 the eccentrics N are in the position in which the portions thereof having the ion est radius are op ositc the wedge blocks. so tiat upon the furt ier raising of the doors to free the shoes from the lower edge of the wedge blocks, the wedge blocks fall by gravity between the serrated surfaces of the shoes and the adjacent surfaces of the eccentrics. As the doors are conniletely closed, or as completely as the condition of thechains will permit, the wedge blocks settle to the position shown in Fig. 3, in which they positively and securely lock the. doors against any accidental opening movement. inasmuch as any movement of the shoes in a direction to permit the lowering of the doors is resisted by the wedge blocks M. which are retained in door supporting position by the eccentrics N. The wedge blocks during their upward movement by the shoes are guided by the bolts m. on which they are pivoted. and by the engagement of the lugs 1n and the vertical surfaces thereabove, with the stops M. The curvature of the slots m imparts to the serrated surfaces of the wedge blocks a path of movement relatively to the serrated sur faces of the corresponding shoes. such as will produce a uniform enga cment between the overlapped portions of tiie serrated surfaces on the wedge blocks and the shoes. This uniform engagement is produced even though the doors are incompletely closed. and even though the distance between the serrated surfaces of the Shoes and the oposing surfaces of the eccentrics may vary either through lack of exactness in construction, or through wear incident to usage.

When it is desired to lower the doors to permit the discharge of the lading. the shu it .I is rotated in a direction to permit the unwinding therefrom of the chains K. The doors wil remain in their closed position while the eccentrics are rotated a distance corresponding to theextent oftheir surfaces 'loi.

having the maximum radius, but immediately upon the surfaces of the eccentrics having a -reduced radius engaging the wedge blocks,

the latter oscillate outwardly, as shown in 1 ig. 4, until their position is such as to per mit the release of the shoes. The doors then drop to their fully open position.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that in my improved door-operating and supporting mechanism the strains incident to supporting the doors in their closed position are transmitted horizontally through the shoes, wedge blocks, cams, and shaft to the car frame, and that the doors are securely supported in closed, or incompletely closed, position without the employment of door supporting devices movable into position beneath the doors when they are closed.

It will be further evident that in my invention the doors are securely supported, independently of the chains, in completely closed position, and also in incompletely closed position, should the unequal length of the chains be such as to unequally close the several doors of a series, or the sides of a single door. The unequal stretching of the chains does not, therefore, interfere with the operation of the door-supporting mechanism, which operates to positively engage and securely support the swinging edges of the doors regardless of inequalities in the lengths of the chains. This is due to the fact that the eccentrics are provided with extended surfaces of greatest radius so that the wedge blocks will be retained in doorsupporting position during a greater or less rotation of the shaft necessary to close the doors, depending upon the extent to which the chains have stretched.

'While I have described my invention with more or less minntencss and. as being embodied in certain precise forms, yet it will be understood that I do not desire to limit myself thereto unduly, or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate all proper changes in form, construction, and arrangement, the omission of immaterial parts, and the substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or necessity render expedient.

I claim 1. In a freight car, the combination with drop floor doors, of means for raising and lowering the doors, and automatic means having a path of movement substantially tangent to the arc of movement of the swinging edges of the doors for supporting the doors in incompletely closed and fully closed positions.

2. In a freight car, the combination with drop floor doors, of means for raising and lowering the doors, and means havin a path of movement substantially tangen to the are of movement of the swinging edges of the doors for supporting the doors in closed position by horizontally transmitting to the car frame the door-supporting strains.

3. In a freight car, the combination with drop floor doors, of means for raising and lowering the doors, bodily movable gravity latches, and means actuated by the door raising and lowering means for retaining said latches in position to support the doors in closed position and for permitting the movement of said latches out of door-supporting position.

4. In a freight car, the combination with drop floor doors, of means for raising and lowering the doors, movable gravity latches, and eccentrics actuated by the door-raising and lowering means for controlling said latches to support the doors in closed position or to permit the doors to drop.

5. In a freight car, the combination with a. drop floor door, of a rotary shaft adjacent the swinging edge of said door, chains connecting said shaft with the door for raising and lowering the same, a bodily movable gravity door-supporting latch, having a path of movement intermediate of the shaft and the swinging edge of the door, and means actuated by said shaft for retaining said latch in position to lock the door closed.

6. In a freight car, the combination with a drop floor door. of a rotary shaft adjacent the swinging edge of said door, cl1ains counecting said shaft with the door for raising and lowering the same. a bodily movable door-supporting latch. having a path of movement intersecting the plane of the door when closed into and out of the space between the swinging edge of the door and said rotary shaft, and an eccentric fixed to said shaft and cooperating with said latch to retain the same in locked engagement with said door when closed or to permit said latch to move out of door-supporting position. i

7. In a freight car. the combination with a drop lloor door. of a rotary shaft adjacent the swinging edge of said door for raising and lowering the same. a bodily movable wedge block, means for supporting the sumo upon the car for u iward movement in a path intermediate o. the swinging edge of the door and said shaft. and means actuated by said shaft for moving said wedge block into and retaining it in locked engagement with the swinging edge of the door and for permitting said block to swing out of locked engagement with the door.

8. In a freight car, the combination with a drop floor door, of a rotary shaft adjacent the swinging edge of said door for raising and lowering the same. a bodily movable wedge block. means for supporting the same upon the car for upward movement in a path intermediate of the swinging edge of the door and said shaft, an eccentric fixed to said shaft and cooperating with said wedge block to move the same into and retain it in locked engagement with the swinging edge of the door and permit said wedge block to swing out of engagement with the door.

9. In a freight car, the combination with adrop floor door, of a pair of outwardly and upwardly inclined shoes fixed to the swinging edge of said door, a pair of vertically movable oscillatory wedge blocks alining with said shoes, and means for swinging said blocks into and retaining them in engagement with said shoes when the door is closed and permitting said wedge blocks toswing away from said shoes to allow the door to drop.

10. In a freight car, the combination with a drop floor door, of a. pair of outwardly and upwardly inclined shoes fixed to the swinging edge of said door, a pair of vertically movable oscillatory wedge blocks alining with said shoes, eccentrics supported by the car in alinement with said wedge blocks and shoes. and means for rotating said eccentrics to move said blocks into and retain them in locked engagement with said shoes and for permitting said blocks to swing away from said shoes to allow the door to drop.

11. In a freight car. the combination with a drop floor door. of a pair of out\ 'ardly and upwardly inclined shoes fixed to the swinging edge of said door, a. pair of vertically movable oscillatory wedge blocks alining with said shoes. a shaft journaled in the car frame parallel to the axis of said door, eccentrics fixed to said shaft in alinement with said wedge blocks and shoes. and means for rotating said shaft to cause said eccentrics to engage said blocks and move the same into locked engagement with said shoes to lock the doors closed.

12. In a freight car. the (annbination with a drop lloor door. of a pair of outwardly and upwardly inclined shoes fixed to the swinging edge of said door. a pair of vertically movable oscillator]. wedge blocks alining with said shoes. a shaft journaled in the ear frame parallel to the axis of said door, chains connecting said shaft with the swinging edge of the door to raise and lower the same, eccentrics fixed to said shaft in alincment with said wedge blocks and shoes, and means for rotating said shaft to raise and lower said door and to cause said eccentrics to move said wedge blocks into and retain them in locked engagement with said shoes, said eccentrics and said chains being so relatively secured to said shaft as to swing said blocks into engagement with said shoes when the chains have lifted the doors to substantially closed position.

13. In a freight car, the coml'iination with a drop floor door, of a rotary shaft adjacent the swinging edge of said door, chains con meeting said shaft with the door for raising or lowering the same, and a movable wedge block having a path of movement intersecting the plane of the door when closed into and out of the space between said sha ft and the swinging edge of the. door to support the door closed.

14. In a freight car, the combination with a drop floor door, of a rotary shaft adjacent the swinging edge of said door. chains connecting said shaft with the door for raising or lowering the same, a movable wedge. block having a path of movement intersecting the plane of the door when closed into and out of the space between said shaft and the swinging edge of the door to support the door closed. and means for automatically moving said wedge block relatively to said shaft and door into and out of door-supporting position.

15. In av freight car, the combination with a drop floor door, of a rotary shaft adjacent the swinging edge of said door. chains con-- necting said shaft with the door for raising and lowering the same. a movable door-supporting latch. and an eccentric fixed upon said shaft and having an extended surface of greatest radius. said surface engaging said latch to retain the same in door-supporting position during angular rotation of said shaft equivalent to the extent of said surface.

In testimony whereof. I have subscrilaul my name.

HARRY S. I-lAR'l. Witnesses:

GEO. L. \VnauNsox', Cnanucs F. Frr'rs.

Copies at this patent may be obtained for live cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Waxhlngton. D. C.

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